Legend of Korra Opinions Essay
by ShadowBlossom12345
Summary: this is actually really really really late - - sorry about that! i haven't posted in a while xD just my opinions on legend of korra :) again, sorry for the like, year-late post! xDDD


**Legend of Korra Opinions Essay **

_*Note: Legend of Korra belongs to Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko_

Alright. So, as the titles says, I'm going to be talking about my opinions on Legend of Korra. And I'm going to say it straight out; I am in love with this show. Seriously, I am anxiously awaiting the next season and I'm so excited that there are 26 more episodes than originally planned. Unfortunately, my excitement has been dampened by the numerous people who hate the show, who continue to rain upon other people's parade. It's really just a shame. Bryan and Mike's work should be appreciated, not be given the hate it has received. Therefore, I am writing this essay, to try and show people that it's really not a bad show AT ALL, and possibly help them to understand that some of the issues they point out aren't that big of issues at all. If this essay does not help, then, please, feel free to disagree and provide reasons why you disagree instead of just saying, "LOL. U have no idea what you're talking about smh." If you really hate the show that much, don't watch it. Simple as that. But don't go around on forums and on Tumblr, "OMG THIS SHOW SUX I WANT AIRBENDER BACK WAHHHHH." I'll respect your opinion if you respect mine.

Now, with that being said, let's get into the nitty-gritty part, shall we? I'll be listing issues that many fans had with the show and countering them with examples from Legend of Korra (LOK), comparisons to Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA), and stuff said/implied by Bryan and Mike (Bryke), and historical/modern analogies on which LOK was based on. Let us begin.

_**1. Too Much Technology**_

Fellow fans of the show, you would be surprised at how many people hate the show because of this little reason. In my opinion, Republic City is amazing. I didn't think I would like the cars and the traffic lights and stuff, but I really ended up admiring it. It's beautifully animated and still retains the Avatar feel to me. Now. Let's get to the basis of why people hate the tech. It's as simple as this: people hate the technology in the world of LOK because to them, it just is not Avatar-like. First of all, you must keep in mind that the world has aged 70 years. Aang and his friends are gone. The era in which he lived in is gone. New things have sprung from the old. Take these facts and let them "flow down the creek," as Guru Pathik would say. Aang and Zuko created Republic City so that innovation could thrive. They wanted to create a better world for the people. And when they passed, the people accepted Republic City and set out to improve their way of life by imagining, acting upon that imagination, and making it reality. The desire to constantly improve our way of life is a part of human nature, and the people after Aang's passing did just that. Time stops for no one, and that is what LOK depicts. The tech provides a sense of realism that all great shows must retain if it wants to maintain a loyal fanbase, such as the Avatar fanbase. Despite all the hate LOK has been getting, the majority still adore the show. Both ATLA and LOK also parallel the real world. ATLA was set in a time period such as that of the Agricultural Revolution while LOK is situated in the Avatar parallel of the Industrial Revolution. If you want to deny the connection of the Avatar world and the real world, so be it, but it doesn't change the facts, for Bryke themselves even confirmed it. Look it up.

And let's be completely honest here, aren't you glad that they changed it up a little? I would have absolutely hated to see a carbon copy of Aang's era. Seriously, that would have been a drag.

_**2. The Old Characters Aren't In LOK**_

Alright. This "reason" irks me a lot. Seriously, Aang's time is over. His story ended! I'm glad they came up with something new. There was nowhere to go with Aang's story. The conflict presented in "The Promise Trilogy," by Gene Yang, was simply not enough material to create an entire sequel series. And I think LOK makes plenty of references to ATLA to keep the fans happy. If you really hate the show because of this, then I suggest you stick to ATLA. That's all I'm saying for this.

_** Show Was Too Rushed**_

Sigh. This was bad planning on Nickelodeon's part, not Bryke's. Nickelodeon ordered only 12 episodes in the beginning, and then, after everything was finished with the first season, they decided to add another 14 episodes. Obviously, the storyline had to be compacted to fit into 12 episodes. It's really not fair to blame Bryke, when it was clearly Nick's fault over here. Now, many of you might say, "The amount of episodes shouldn't make a difference. They should've been able to work with the episodes they had." Please answer this question: Why should they have been able to create an intensely developed storyline with ultra complex characters in the mere span of 12 half-hour episodes? Bryke aren't wizards. Did you ever stop to calculate that the whole first season of LOK was only about 6 hours long PLUS commercials? Hmm? They had to fit EVERYTHING into a mere six hours, possibly less. Personally, I believe the show, with the amount of episodes it had, balanced plot and character development beautifully. You also might say that the love triangle and pro-bending could have been eliminated to fit more development. However, both were necessary to develop the characters. These will be my next points.

_**4. Pro-Bending**_

I liked Pro-Bending (PB) a lot. It was entertaining for me to watch. However, many people say that PB was a waste of time. Well, I've got something to say to that. In episode 102, "A Leaf in the Wind," Korra was having trouble with airbending, right? Well, the moment she entered PB, she learned how to move like an airbender at the end of the episode. Tenzin even said it himself. He said that she had moved "just like an airbender." It taught her to not take things head-on and that evasion is a viable option during combat, for it uses the enemy's own strength against them. Her pro-bending was allegorical in a sense that we must assume she was applying the mentality she formed for PB into her everyday training skills and life skills. We saw a glimpse of that in episode 103, "The Revelation," when she was able to dodge the moving panels. Korra WAS learning how to be an airbender. We just didn't see it ALL on-screen. In a series so short, sometimes, the creators have to resort to letting their fans assume the obvious and give tiny hints to confirm those assumptions in order to progress the story line. Otherwise, you all would be complaining about how the show didn't even focus that much on the plot and how it only focused on airbending training! Moving on.

_**5. The Love Triangle**_

Bear with me people, it's going to be a wild ride, especially for those of you who actually despised the love triangle. Me, I had no problem with it. I know, right, you probably are all cringing at me while reading this. It's going to be hard to defend this one, what with the hate for it so rampant. Now, I really don't like romance, I just don't, especially in Superhero movies where the main character's "selfless" motives always lead back to their love interest and how they're saving the world "so that they don't get hurt." Now THAT'S cringe-worthy. Yeesh. But I've always had a soft spot for Avatar. I personally enjoy Makorra a teensy-weensy bit more than Kataang (I'm going to get so much hate for this) mainly because of this reason. In the ATLA episode "Nightmares and Daydreams," when Aang has that daydream about Katara in which he calls her his "forever-girl," he reveals to us that he saving the world FOR KATARA. When I was younger, I didn't really care, but as I got older and re-watched the episode, I realized that what he said was pretty darn selfish. Forget the millions of other people that have suffered from the war, including your own race, and instead, save the world so that you could FINALLY be with the woman you love. Don't get me wrong though, I ADORE AANG, I ADORE HIM SO MUCH HE IS SO FREAKING CUTE AND FUNNY:D! But I just thought that wasn't really fair of him to say. Anyway, enough with the comparisons, let's get to the crux of the matter. First of all, I really think you people are blowing this out of proportion. The romance was some in episode 104, " A Voice in the Night," a lot in episode 105, "The Spirit of Competition," and of course, in episode 112, "Endgame." People, that is not a lot. There were some tidbits sprinkled around the other episodes, but definetely not so much that it hindered the development. I feel that the love triangle/square/whatever was put into the show to appease younger viewers, but Bryke also made it in a way that it sort of kind of developed the characters. Now, of course, I'll be getting to each of the character's development separately, but I'll lay down the basics. Even after Asami is introduced and begins dating Mako, Korra, who knows this, still tells him she likes him and goes on to kiss him. Now, this gives us insight into her impulsiveness and how she doesn't think things through to consider other people's feelings. This of course stems from the fact that, as a child, she didn't have much contact with people from the outside world since she was locked up in a compound for 17 years of her life. She's pretty much clueless when it comes to social behavior, for she didn't have the slightest idea that Bolin had a crush on her. When Mako accuses her of leading Bolin on in episode 105, "The Spirit of Competition," she states she and him were just going out as friends. So please, don't accuse Korra of deliberately hurting Bolin. She never wanted to do that. Mako's character is, in the beginning of the series, portrayed as a "Mama Mako," so to speak, a type of older brother who really cares about Bolin. So please, PLEASE, don't say "I hate mako he treats bolin like garbage." That is COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY WRONG. If Mako wasn't there, Bolin wouldn't have known what to do! Mako helped Bolin survive! However, when Mako, the overprotective brother who's lived on the streets, meets Korra, the sheltered, clueless, pretty Avatar, and when he meets Asami, the beautiful rich girl, the teenage years that he NEVER got to live are brought out. That itself adds dimension to his character. It shows us that, despite him attempting to suppress it, he IS a teenager, no matter how much he doesn't want to be. It makes him grey rather than black or white (sigh, not skin color wise). And to those of you who say "being a teenager is no excuse lol," WHAT THE HECK?! WHY MUST HORMONES STOP FOR MAKO? HORMONES STOP FOR NO ONE! EVER! And again, it provides yet another aspect we can all relate to. And if you say that you've never ever liked two people before, well, you apparently are some superhuman who doesn't succumb to the power of human nature. Good for you. Moving on to Bolin. We were told that Bolin was a charming ladies man. Evidence of this fact was in episode 102, "A Leaf in the Wind," when many girls were screaming his name right before the match. He is also shown as somewhat self-absorbed, for he says in that episode, "Wish me luck…not…that I'll need it." However, when Korra kisses Mako, he is shown as being sensitive, caring, vulnerable, and childish. This of course directly relates to him being taken care of Mako all his life and being overprotected, even if he himself doesn't know it. Again, people, this is DEVELOPMENT. Please, I beg, don't confuse pointless romance with development. If you really despised the show because of the "pointless" love triangle, then you probably didn't love the show to begin with. Asami was also developed during this love thing. It accentuated how compassionate, kind, and how willing to help others she was, as shown by how indiscriminate she was when accepting Mako, a poor "street-rat," as her boyfriend, and then having Future Industries sponsor the Fire Ferrets. Now, let's move on to some characters despised by the fandom. This is gonna be good.

_**6. Asami**_

Yes, I admit it. I suspected Asami to be an equalist. I, erm, regret this accusation profoundly. I also did not like her because she got in the way of my, erm, OTP Makorra. And to that I just have to say, I am truly sorry Asami. Those were stupid reasons for me to dislike Asami. And if you still dislike Asami, please, just stahp. And if Asami's the reason why you hate the show, just, really stop. She lost everything she had; her business, her home, and, worst of all, her father, and you're still going to give her hate for no reason? That's just not right. At all. Let's not forget to mention that she is an amazing fighter with an awesome equalist glove, am I correct? Moving on.

_**7. Bolin**_

The major complaint about Bolin is that he is useless and did not get enough character development. Well, although I do not in any way agree with the former, I, sadly, must with the latter. Bolin did not get enough development. However, I am first going to argue the latter. Bolin is not useless. Without him, in the finale, Hiroshi would have killed Asami. Sure, he's not a metalbender, but so what? Toph was not a metalbender for a lot of the series, and she is most definetely not useless in the least. People say he's a bad Earthbender as well, which is what makes him useless. Um, hello, he was in a CITY for the most part. Remember in the first episode, when Korra was beating up those thugs? WHY did she get arrested? Because her earthbending destroyed that entire area. In other words, his bending was restricted by the area he resided in. Secondly, he's only 16. Yes, you might say that Toph was 12 and such, but you have to understand, she wasn't normal. In ATLA, it was not normal that a young girl could bend like that. She was amazing because of practice, and probably an awesome genetic mutation. Now, you may say that in the liftoff place in the finale when Bolin had to destroy the take-off field, he showed a lack of skill and it seemed that it was straining him. Think of it like this: take the fact that he is 16, couple it with him being a probender in Republic City (RC) and add the fact that he was brought up by Mako, and you have an average city Earthbender. Mako certainly would not have let Bolin fight, since he WAS raising him. That explains Mako's prowess at Firebending and Bolin's mediocre Earthbending. Bolin never really had to FIGHT, so he could not develop his skill as much as Mako. When he did, he at least held his own, and saved Asami's life. Whoa, that's more than I wanted to say about Bolin's "uselessness." As for character-development, I trust Bryke for future seasons to make Bolin 10 times more awesome than he already is!

_**8. Korra**_

Okay, seriously, Korra is my favorite character in this show. Like, honestly. I even like her a teensy weensy bit more than Aang (more hate against me, woohoo!). And so it really irks me when people hate the show because of my bby Korra3 But I will try to be as civil as possible :3 Now, there are different aspects of Korra which they hate, such as her being a "Mary-Sue" or her learning how to airbend and then getting her bending back. However, those are WAAAYYY to long to cover in this one point, so they will be separate points in this essay. However, let's get down to the bare basics of why people hate Korra. Now, people say she kissed Mako while he was with Asami. That is true. However, like I said, it is human nature to make mistakes, and also, her impulsive behavior can be completely attributed to her being locked in a compound all her life; she does not know how love works, okay? People make mistakes and learn from them. Hence, in "The Aftermath," she said to Mako, "Go to her [Asami], she needs you right now." She learned from her impulsive behavior in the beginning and decided to detach herself from Mako, even though she liked him a lot. She gave him up to Asami, and that was that. It was Mako who initiated the relationship at the end because he realized he liked Korra more than Asami. That was not Korra's fault, nor was it Mako's. You can't control who you love. This brings me to another reason why people hate Korra; she did not love Bolin. Now, I, a Makorra shipper, am also a Borra shipper! I love both pairings. But it did not bother me that Makorra was endgame, while it did other people. Korra not loving Bolin was not her fault. Love doesn't work like that. That was the realism in the show. Just like in real life, with love, SOMEBODY'S going to get hurt. And they have to move on, just like Bolin did. You cannot blame Korra for loving someone else. Tell me, would you want to be forced with someone you don't love? Hmm? Exactly. It's different when it's you, isn't it? Next, Korra was cold or mean to Asami? Um, what? Giving up the person she [Korra] loved to Asami was not good enough? Apologizing to Asami for having a wrong impression of her was not enough? Offering Asami A PLACE TO STAY was not enough? Korra didn't STEAL Mako away from Asami, if that's what you believe. Mako came to her. Again, NOBODY'S fault. Done, done, and done with this point. Different aspects of Korra hate will be addressed later in this piece. But for now…

_**9. Mako**_

Mako hate has been circulating in the fandom ever since the finale, and it's gotten out of hand. Seriously haters? Sending hate letters to Bryke and Mako's VA, David Faustino? That's low, even for you people. It's honestly sickening. MAKO DOESN'T EVEN EXIST, I MEAN, NOT EVEN OZAI OR FREAKING ZHAO OR SOZIN GOT THIS MUCH HATE! Everyone's blowing this out of proportion. Mako didn't kill anyone or hurt anyone intentionally. He is a teenager with hormones, people, like, I don't know, EVERY TEENAGER IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! This is the first time he actually likes girls, people, the first time! Now, people began hating him a lot in "Out of the Past," for being worried about Korra. I mean, it's such a terrible thing to worry about a friend who has been captured by an insane bloodbender and could be killed in horrendous ways, such as having her heart contorted and crushed, or her organs turned inside out, or her brain being drowned in blood. Yeah, that was sarcasm. I mean, seriously? SERIOUSLY? According to the fandom, it's not okay to WORRY about another person when you're in a relationship? Even when they could be killed? This is completely irrational and unjustified hate! And personally, I thought it was unfair of Asami to worry about her boyfriend being concerned for Korra rather than actually being concerned for Korra herself. I mean, throughout the entire episode, all Asami worried about was Mako being scared for Korra. Never once in that episode did she acknowledge that this was serious business, and that Korra was in real danger. So yeah. And then, in episode 110, Mako gets hate for taking care of Korra when she's down. If he didn't take care of Korra, would you haters have been happy? Or would you have hated him still for not taking care of her? And people accuse Mako of lying to Asami and then blaming Bolin and then switching the subject. First of all, Bolin had no right at all to go on about telling Asami about Mako and Korra's kiss. That was between Mako and Asami and Korra. Would it have been great if Mako had told Asami before? Of course! However, it seems to me that Mako didn't really think much of the kiss because it was done and over with. Possibly, he honestly didn't think it was that important, forgot about it, or he figured that it was a matter between him and Korra that had been settled and dealt with. Asami, in all honesty, should not have brought it up with a WAR about to break out. It's not like Mako was actively making out or hooking up with Korra behind Asami's back. That was most definetely NOT the case. And for those of you who say that Mako never realizes his wrongs, think again. In episode 5, after Bolin saw Korra and Mako kissing, Mako APOLOGIZED to Bolin. He said, "Are you okay? How's your shoulder?... We'll get through this mess. I'm sorry." Also, in "Skeletons in the Closet," Mako said, when BREAKING UP, with Asami, "I'm sorry things got so messed up between us, but whatever happens today, I want you to know how much I care about you." And, Asami then kisses him on the cheek, symbolizing that she also cares about him. So stop speaking for Asami! Our awesome Asami doesn't even hate Mako at all. And honestly, it WAS just a break-up. It's not like he hit her or something. And to those of you who say that, "omg, I feel for asami. she lost her dad and then her boyfriend cheated on and dumped her for that idiot korra." I honestly don't think her break-up fazed her that much. She is still very much friends with Mako, remember? And if you think that Asami NEEDS a man for her to be happy, please. She's awesome and very much content without a guy! Next, I'll be moving on to plot aspects of the show, including the deus-ex machina, airbending, Amon/Noatak, blah blah blah.

_**10. Equalist Movement**_

Now, this point is going to be fun to argue for, because I get to utilize historical parallels ^_^. I love history by the way :3. Weird, right? Anyway, now, many Tumblr critics say the Equalist movement was not properly resolved, and that the Equalists' problems were not addressed? Um, the Equalists were a terrorist organization, with no valid problems. It was merely Amon/Noatak's way of going against and at the same time, becoming like, Yakone. Now, you might argue, "Wait a sec, non-benders are oppressed, there was only a metalbending police force and the council is made up of benders, and only people who could generate lightning to work in a factory, so non-benders have no jobs, so the Equalists did have a valid cause!" Keep in mind that, just because Tarrlok and Tenzin were benders, does not mean the other council members were. Also, from the flashbacks, Sokka was a councilman, and he was a non-bender, as was an Air Acolyte, a non-bender as well. In the first episode, there was a non-bending cop that was chasing Korra, remember? And Hiroshi Sato and Lau Gan-Lan were non-benders who were rich! So please, don't give me that "non-benders had nothing." You also might say that "benders were not as poor as non-benders, and gangs only terrorized non-benders." Not true. Mako and Bolin were dirt-poor before PB, AND their parents were killed by a Firebender as well. In the finale, we saw both poor non-benders AND benders living underground together, illustrating that there really was no quarrel between the two groups at all, and Amon was just utilizing imaginary animosity to fuel his own agenda. Now, you might site Tarrlok's curfew for the non-benders as oppression. And it was. However, this was AFTER the Equalists were prominent, and what Tarrlok was doing WAS wrong, hence Korra getting into that entire situation with them. But that's because Tarrlok was a complete idiot, and did not realize he was only enflaming the hatred that didn't exist in the first place. Now, you might ask why Amon was able to get so many people to join his movement if there wasn't really oppression. Think about Amon as Hitler. Hitler truly believed that the Jewish people were causing the downfall of Germany, just like Amon truly believed that benders were oppressing non-benders. Was Hitler correct in believing this? OF COURSE NOT! Hitler was completely and utterly wrong. The Jewish people were not responsible for the economic crisis in Germany, but his public-speaking skills _brainwashed_ the German people into believing this was true, thus culminating in the Holocaust and the nationalization of the German Nazi Party. This is EXTREMELY similar to Amon because Amon did the same EXACT thing, except he led non-benders into believing they were oppressed by benders, and it eventually led to the Battle of Republic City and the "cleansing" of the bender's abilities. I remember getting chills when I saw those Order of the White Lotus guards being lined up to get there bending taken away. Scary stuff man, scary stuff. In other words, there was no substance behind the Equalist movement; only lies.

_**11. Amon/Noatak Back story**_

The back story, a back story that turned many people's favorite character Amon into disgusting Noatak. I loved his back story, and I'm going to say why. It made him _human_. He wasn't just a character like Ozai or Zhao or Azula, who were truly born evil. I like to think of Noatak as a Zuko who _failed_. Failed tragically in everything he tried to do. He failed in escaping his father's expectations of him. He failed in upholding the movement that subconsciously held true to his father's expectations of him. Both him and Tarrlok failed in forging identities different from that of Yakone, EVEN if they so strongly desired to. Now, critics always say that they want a villain who feels human, and that Bryke did not do that to Amon. But why? Noatak's struggles, his pain, and how he did in fact, fail, make him REALLY human. Because in real life, many humans do not have the mental capability to recover from a childhood like Noatak's. Zuko, while his transformation was realistic, was lucky he had Iroh, or he would have lost it as well. Noatak had no one. Making Noatak a bender, was in its own right, brilliant. I honestly did not expect it, and I really enjoyed that surprise factor. But it is yet another aspect of the show that humanized him. He truly, truly, passionately felt that benders DID have an unfair advantage over non-benders, even if it wasn't true. Of course, this belief of his came from Yakone's disgusting treatment of him and Tarrlok. Tarrlok even said that Noatak believed in equality from a very young age. But let's get back to Noatak being a walking contradiction, and how it relates to humanity. Humans are walking contradictions. Take a look at religious violence, such as the Inquisition, the Crusades, 9/11, etc. What is the universal rule in ALL religions? DO NOT KILL. But these acts were committed in the name of religion, so um, what? Exactly. Contradictions. And were these acts committed passionately, with each side believing that they were right in doing these things? Of course! Were they all wrong in thinking that they were better than each other, since innocent people were killed? Heck yeah! And were these events a product of the economic and political problems going around at the time? You bet'cha. SAME EXACT THING AS AMON. He created the Equalists because he truly believed that benders were bad due to his rough upbringing, even though he was incredibly wrong for utilizing violence as the Equalists' prime measure to convert people. In the end, the Equalist movement ended up usurping the authority in Republic City and, in the end, Noatak ended up becoming Yakone; the very person he did not even want to be associated with. And this, my friends, is the beautiful cycle of Karma. Plus, people are butthurt that Amon wasn't a non-bender, because, in their minds, non-benders aren't "represented" well enough as main characters or something? Um, how about awesome non-benders like Sokka, Mai, Ty-Lee, Asami, and Lieutenant? Hmm? Are those guys not good at fighting or weren't in the show as much or something, because if they weren't, I don't think we were watching the same show. Plus, even if Amon was a bender, most of the time, he used chi-blocking. The only time where he actually used his bloodbending was in the finale, and when he took people's bending away.

_**12. Psychic Bloodbending **_

For some reason, many people are upset at Amon, Yakone, and Tarrlok for "not abiding to the rules of bloodbending." Excuse me, who makes the rules of the universe? Oh yeah, right! BRYKE. Not you, or anybody on Tumblr. So this reason irks me. This is something SO incredibly insignificant to the story, and it's honestly better left for speculation. A scene where Amon explains how he takes people's bending away would be pointless and stupid. And for how those three can bloodbend without the full moon, I honestly don't know, and really don't care. How could Combustion Man firebend with a third eye tattooed onto his face? Sokka answered that question. There is a little something called genetic mutations that allow people to develop awesome abilities and mental capacity. It's what has allowed us to evolve from simple hominids to complex beings. That was what was so beautiful about the murder-suicide scene. And not because I legit cried :'(. But rather, Tarrlok, and, from that lone tear, I also believe Noatak, KNEW that if they ever reproduced, the abilities of their offspring would snowball into a similar situation. And so they gave up power and evolution for something greater. The protection of humanity. Their final redemption. At least that's my interpretation of it. Oh lord, here come the tears.

_**13. Airbending at the End/Deus-Ex Machina Aang**_

This and the final reason, coming up seems to be the icing on the cake as to why people hate LOK. People say that Korra shouldn't have been able to airbend because she didn't change at the end of the story. How? I feel like her development was different than that of Aang's. She made certain choices that didn't change her, but were the right choices nonetheless. For example, in "A Leaf in the Wind," after being a complete jerk to Tenzin, she apologized and realized her mistakes, as well as began to move like an airbender. In "Voice in the Night," she learned it was okay to be afraid, and to admit that would help her overcome her fears. In "The Aftermath," she learned that sometimes, being the Avatar was more important than being a friend. And in "When Extremes Meet," she realized that her duty to protect people applied to both benders and non-benders. So she did have development. Was she still impulsive and stubborn? Of course she was! But let's look at ATLA for a second. And let's compare it with LOK completely objectively and without bias for either of the two. Did Aang really change at the end? Wasn't his personality the EXACT SAME as it was in Episode 1? In Book 3, he was still joking around and goofing off, so how did he change? More importantly, in the end, Aang DID run away from his problems, like he did all his life. In my opinion, although I still LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the finale and wouldn't have done it any other way, from a critical perspective, Aang still ran away from his conundrum of killing Ozai. In the end, Aang failed to hold his duty as the Avatar above the ways of the culture, ultimately illustrating that he DIDN'T grow into his role as the Avatar. And that point completely goes back on Aang accepting himself as the Avatar, because he didn't. Now, don't take this the wrong way and think I'm against pacifism, because I'm absolutely not! I'm a pacifist myself, and give "Sozin's Comet" and 100000000/10. I'm just trying to even out the playing field by pointing out how ATLA also went back on development, and it is not criticized at all. (I also am all about equality, which is why I'm defending LOK this much :p). Any who, let's return to the actual airbending portion of this segment. How was Korra able to airbend? There is an explanation. We have never seen how airbending is supposed to be learned, since Aang, the only airbender left, had mastered it already. Obviously, learning airbending is so similar to unlocking the chakras and mastering the Avatar state. To do it, you must rid yourself of earthly attachments. And what was Korra's earthly attachment? HER BENDING! Direct correlation right there. And this of course, relates directly to Hinduism and Buddhism in a sense that, in order to attain enlightenment, one must gain knowledge from every experience they have ever had, including and especially experiences that have made them suffer. Because as sad as it is, suffering IS the best teacher. The moment Korra lost her bending, the ability to airbend hit her. How? She began to believe that she was nothing, since she lost a part of her identity, what made her what she was. She thought she had failed the entire world and the entire Avatar lineage. Can you imagine that? Feeling like you failed not only yourself, but everyone you knew and loved? And you know what? For the first time, she learned HOW to suffer. In that short speck of time, all of her earthly attachment was gone, and even though she was hurting, she didn't once think about herself. She thought about all of those whom she loved. All the people who had been victims at Amon's hands. And she was completely and utterly selfless, and all she wanted to do was to protect the citizens of RC, and she expected nothing in return. And that's why she was able to airbend. When all earthly attachment is gone, and you care for everyone BUT yourself, that is when you reach enlightenment, hence Aang giving her the bending back. Because she DESERVED it. Aang's story was about a person learning to become the Avatar. Korra's story was about an Avatar learning to become a person.

**Conclusion**

I honestly hope I changed some people's perspective in this rather large essay -_-. If I didn't, that's honestly fine as well! But if you're going to hate on LOK a). without providing VALID reasons or b). because it's not ATLA, then I you're just a hater and a troll. But if you dislike the show due to VALID criticisms, feel free to share! I like looking at new perspectives, even if my own opinion usually never budges from what it is lol. I guess I feel like many people dislike LOK because it's not ATLA, and that reason bothers me, because LOK is _not_ nor was meant to be ATLA. It was meant to have a completely different look with a different storyline. And I guess that's why I created this essay. Mainly for those types of people. But try to respect my opinion, and I, of course, will respect yours! ^_^ Hope you enjoyed! Critique, but don't bash. Because that's just childish lol. Goodnight!


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